Dispensing container



Dec. 7, 1937. L. R. PAUL 2,101,687

DI SPENS ING CONTAINER Filed March i2, 1934 g: jg` INVENTOR. Ms L on/RPau.

By i

HIS ATTORNY Patented Dec. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES.I

2.101381 nisrENslNo coN'rArNEa Leon R. Paul,

Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner of onehalf to George J. Atwell, New York. N. Y. Application March 12, 1934, Serial No. '115,064 4 (Cl. 20s-42) This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to a dispensing container for tablets, lozenges and the like. One object of the invention is to assure the I retention of 'the contents of the container in their original form for indenite periods and to prevent breakage or grating thereof in the course of normal handling of the container'.

Another object is to enable the contents of l04 the container to be removed without risk of discharging more than the amount desired.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.`

In the drawing accompanying -this specification and forming a part thereof,

f Figure 1 is a plan view of a container constructed in accordance with the practice of the invention and illustrating the positions which the l component parts will occupy to permit the extraction of the contents from the container,

Figure 2 Vis a longitudinal sectional elevation taken through Figure l on the line 2--2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is a transverse view taken through Figure 1 on the line 3 3,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure l showing a modified form of the invention,

Figure 5 is a transverse view taken through Figure 4 on the line 5 5,

Figure 6 is a plan view of another modiiied form of the invention, and

Figure 'I is a transverse view taken through Figure 6 on the line 1-1. n

Referring to the drawing and at rst more particularly to Figure 1. 20 designates, in general, a container constructed in accordance with the practice of the invention, and comprising -a box 2l and a cover 22 slidable thereon. The box 2l which may be of substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners 23 comprises the usual endless side wall 24 having longitudinally extending ribs 25 to slidably interlock with grooves 26 in lateral or depending wings 21 of the cover 22.

In order to suitably segregate the contents such as the tablets 28 stored in the container in rows in such wise that the tablets of one row will be prevented from contacting with those in an 'adjacent row the bottom 29 of the box 2l is provided with a series of ribs, as for instance integral folds 30, which extend into the Iinterior of' the box to deiine therein a plurality oi compart ments 3l having at bottom surfaces.

The folds 30 extend longitudinally of the box and are so arranged that the `compartments which they define are all of the same capacity. Each compartment may, therefore, accommodate the same number of tablets. The folds are of less length than the bottom of the box so as to provide spaces 32 between the ends 33 of the 5 folds t0 and the adjacent end wall of the box to permit the tablets to pass singly around the ends of the folds. The box illustrated is divided into three compartments, and in order to prevent the flow of m tablets from all but one of the compartments, when partly uncovered and the box is positioned to discharge a tablet, a xed cover or iiap 34 which may be an integral part of the side wall is bentinwardly to overlie the end of the box is including the spaces t2. The cover 3d terminates at one end approximately adjacent a fold 30, thus providing a space tl, between its end edge atA and the side of the box, of a width substantially the width of a compartment and'through 20- which the tablets may be withdrawn, one at a time, from the box.

In order to maintain the space 3l of only slightly larger size than is necessary for the passage of one tablet the cover 22 is provided with 25 a lug 2t, preferably near one end of the cover, to extend slidably into a depression 39 in the cover 24. The depression tt is of such length as to permit the cover 22 to travel a distance approximating the width of the space 31. 30

In the limiting positions of the cover 22 the lug 2B engages the ends of the depression 39 to prevent the cover 22 from being shifted farther than is nec w: f to uncover a tablet. Thus, in practice, whenever it is desired to remove a tab- 35 let from the box 2l the cover 22 is moved in the direction of the innermost end of the depression 39 until the lug 3d engages said end. A space 31 is thus uncovered to permit the extraction of a tablet and'the remaining tablets 40 will be retained in their respective compartments, instead of shifting from one side of the box to the other and becoming impaired by attrition.

' In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the box designated 40 is provided 45 with internal ribs or folds 4| which extend along v the entire length of the bottom 29 of the box to/ dene compartments 3l of equal capacity. The box is, moreover, provided with a flap or fixed ,cover 42 which overiies the end portions of all 50 but one of the compartments 3l.

In the portionsof the cover l42 overlying the compartments are perforations 43 through which the contents of each compartment thus covered may be extracted. The apertures I3 may be 55 formed by a suitable punching device and the disks of metal removed in this Way are again pressed into the apertures 43 to serve as closures 44 for the compartments 3| lying under the cover 42.

In order that" the closures 44 may be readily removed from the apertures 43 the cover 42 is provided with recesses 45 which open into the apertures 43 and through which an implement or a nger nail may be inserted to engage the closures for removing them. Thus when,l as shown, the container iso divided' into three compartments, two compartments may be closed by the cover 42 and the closures 44 and one compartment at the side of the container is closed only by the cover 22.

The cover.22` is also capable of only limited movement with respect to the container 4|) and such movement is controlled by interlocking portions on the cover 22 and the box. These interylocking portions in the present instance are arranged on the sides of the cover and the box and consist of depressions 46 in the cover which engage the inner ends of a pair of ribs 41 spaced along the sides of the box. The distance between the inner ends of the ribs 41 determines that 'which the cover may move on the box'and may be of approximately the same length as the length of the spaces through which the contents are removed from the box. The ribs 4'| also serve as guideways for the cover 22 and accordingly engage grooves 48 for this purpose.

In the practice of this form of the invention it is merely necessary to slide the cover 22 with respect to the box 4j|l to uncover a tablet in the end of the side compartment. After the contents of this compartment have been removed a closure 44 is removed to permit access to one of the remaining compartments. The closure 44 thus removed may be discarded since thereafter the cover 22 may serve to retain the contents of the last opened compartment within the container.

As will be readily seen, in this form of container the rows of tablets are adequately separated from each other along their entire lengths and the tablets of one row cannot, therefore, strike against those of another row.

Referring now to the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, ribs 43 which consist of folded portions of the bottom 29 extend into the interior of the box and longitudinally therethrough from one end of the box to the other to divide it into a series of compartments 3|. At points along the edges of all but one of the compartments are clips 50 which partly overhang th'e edges or ends oi.' the compartments of -substantially equal length and width.

The clips `5|) are preferably so formed that the outer surfaces 5| thereof lie substantially ush with the corresponding surface of the box. Between the clips 50 and the tablets 28 and seating upon the ribs are pliable strips of material 52, as for instance paper or cardboard which are of substantially the same width asV the compartments, to prevent the discharge of the contents of the underlying compartment until those of the compartment 3| which is controlled only by the cover 22 have been used. Thus, after the tablets have been removed from an active compartment the strip or cover 52 may be removed from another compartment and so on until all the tablets have been removed.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container for tablets and the like, comprising a box having a plurality of compartments of equal capacity and adapted to accommodate the same number of tablets, all of said compartments having outlet openings at the same end of the box, a cover for the box, and fixed cover means in the box for preventing the exposure of the outlet end of one compartment upon opening of the first said cover to discharge tablets from another compartment.

2. A dispensing container for tablets and the like, comprising a box having a plurality of compartments of equal capacity and adapted to accommodate the same number of tablets, a cover for the box, a stable cover on the box overlying one compartment and having an aperture, and a removable closure for the aperture to prevent the discharge of the contents of the associated compartment upon opening of the first said cover.

3. A dispensing container for tablets and the like, comprising a box having a rib on the bottom thereof to divide the interior of the box into a plurality of compartments of equal capacity and adapted to accommodate the same number of tablets, a cover for the box and slidable thereon to uncover an end of the compartments, interlocking portions on the coverv and the box to limit movement of the cover with respect to the box, and a ilxed closure for one compartment extending from the rib to the opposite side of the compartment to prevent removal of its contents in the open position of the cover and being removable to admit access to the adjacent compartment.

4. A dispensing container for tablets and the like, comprising a box having a rib on the bottom thereof to divide the interior of the box into a plurality of compartments of equal capacity and adapted to accommodate the same number of tablets, a cover for the box and slidable thereon to uncover an end of the compartments, interlocking portions on the cover and the boxvto limit movement of the cover with respect to the box, a xed closure in the box for one compartment seating upon the rib to prevent removal of its contents in the open position of the cover and being removable to admit access to the adjacent compartment, and lugs on the box to retain the closure in the box.

LEON R. PAUL. 

